Gleniffer High School pupil, and aspiring engineer, Hayley McArthur, moved a step closer to fulfilling her career ambitions when she joined engineers, Grontmij, for a week of work experience. Grontmij is part of Sweco, one of Europe’s leading architecture and engineering consultancies.

Hayley, who is 15, spent time in the Transportation, Transport Planning, Water, Asset Management, Energy, Geotechnical, Environmental, Landscape and Administration Departments of Grontmij and was inspired by the scope and variety of jobs available in engineering. She said; “This has been a great week. I was set on a career in engineering before I came to Grontmij. Now I’m dazzled by the interesting opportunities in the profession and even more certain that this is the career for me.”

Grontmij is providing engineering advice for two of Renfrewshire’s City Deal projects; the £78m Clyde Waterfront & Renfrew Riverside which will see a new bridge and associated roads linking Renfrew and Yoker; and the £51m Glasgow Airport Investment Area which will join up the Inchinnan, Airport and Westway business parks to create a location with tremendous connections and growth potential.

A crucial part Grontmij’s tender submission was its commitment to helping community projects, offering educational support for pupils, and creating employment and training opportunities. Hayley’s work experience placement was part of this commitment.

Sandy Ross, Grontmij, Operations Manager said, “Hayley has been a great ambassador for her school and we wish her well in her career. Renfrewshire’s City Deal projects will bring great benefits to the area’s economy and communities and, at Grontmij-Sweco, we are keen to make sure that these opportunities start as soon as possible.

“We are currently recruiting a City Deal Community Liaison Graduate Intern to work with us and ensure that Renfrewshire gets the most out of these projects. This, and Hayley’s workplace experience are the first of many career building opportunities to emerge as we work with Renfrewshire Council on the City Deal Initiatives.”

Councillor Mark Macmillan, Leader of Renfrewshire Council said; “Hayley’s work experience with Grontmij illustrates some of the good things happening in Renfrewshire. We have a young person forging a promising career and we have a contractor delivering benefits for our communities. Because all this is happening against the background of £274m of City Deal infrastructure investment in Renfrewshire, we can look forward to many more good news stories as, together, the council and business community create jobs and opportunities.”

Renfrewshire residents, who are younger than 30 and have graduated in the past two years, might be interested in an Invest in Renfrewshire Internship. These are a great way to jump- start the careers of graduates who are unemployed or under-employed in jobs that do not relate to their degree. Internships are paid, project based, and last between five and 11 months. Having gained experience and insight, four out of every five interns get jobs after their project is over. Opportunities arise all the time for graduates in all disciplines. To find out more, call 0141 618 4690.